


The best laid plans (are not allowed to fail)

by Circeancity



Category: Hades (Video Game 2018)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Blood and Injury, Implied/Referenced Character Death, M/M, Mafia AU, One Shot, Whump, it's not very detailed but Zag has to stitch Than up
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-12
Updated: 2020-12-12
Packaged: 2021-03-18 06:26:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,325
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29729691
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Circeancity/pseuds/Circeancity
Summary: He stood up, making Thanatos stumble backwards. His face softened, “Than, mate, when was the last time you walked around without a weapon? When was the last time you felt safe?”He scoffed “I’m never in danger Zagreus. I can scarcely remember a time when I wasn’t the most dangerous person in the room.”Zagreus stepped forward, one hand held out, “But what if you didn’t have to be?”----Zagreus arrives at the safehouse much too late and with an unexpected guest.
Relationships: Thanatos/Zagreus (Hades Video Game)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 65





	The best laid plans (are not allowed to fail)

**Author's Note:**

> This was originally for the supergiant secret santa on tumblr, and is actually the _ending_ of an au I hope to come back to one of these days. I'll backdate it in a couple days, I just wanted people to see it when I uploaded it ^^;;

Zagreus kicked the door open, “Nyx?” His voice was startlingly loud in the small, dingy apartment. The only answer he got was the sound of rain pattering against the windows. He cursed, shuffling inside with Thanatos leaning heavily against him. 

“Still with me, Than?” he asked, locking the door behind them.

Thanatos groaned, nodding weakly.

“‘Kay. Just stay awake, ok?” The boards creaked under their feet as they went to the living room. Gently, Zagreus laid Thanatos down on the couch. “Keep pressure on the wound, I’m going to find a first aid kit.”

“Mmhm.” his brows furrowed, whether in pain or annoyance Zag wasn’t sure, but he was still conscious which was a good sign. 

Another thing that made him hopeful was how quick he was able to find the first aid kit. Of course Nyx would keep this place stocked for him though. She must have been planning this almost as long as he had. Shame he had to ruin all of her hard work by getting caught. He was supposed to arrive— _alone_ — over an hour ago.

Thankfully, Nyx had prepared for the worst. There was a surgical needle and thread packed among the normal supplies. “Than, stay still.” He grunted in acknowledgement and Zagreus took out a knife. Alecto had already cut through his shirt when she made the wound, but in order to see it clearly, Zag had to finish the job. 

His hands shook as he stitched him up. Though he winced every time he heard Thanatos gasp in pain, it was somehow reassuring. If was still conscious enough to feel it, he would be okay. That…that was how it worked, right? He tried to put the thought out of his mind, but it was hard when he was so pale, when, this close, he could see just how badly Alecto had cut him. It wasn’t that deep, but it was long. The awful, jagged edges of the wound went from the top of his hip up to his ribs. 

When he finally finished stitching him up, he grabbed a roll of gauze. “Okay mate, gonna need you to sit up.” 

“Okay…okay.” Thanatos took a hissing breath and grabbed the back of the couch to pull himself up. With a gentle hand on his back, Zag held him there as he began winding the gauze around him. 

“Aaaand done.” Zagreus put his tools away and looked him over one last time. Thanatos had laid back down already. He was still in bad shape, pale as death and his breath coming quick and shallow. His clothes were soaked through with rain and blood. The couch was beyond ruined. Zagreus looked down at his hands and was struck with vertigo. 

He could practically hear his father telling him how this was all his fault, if he had just stayed put, if he had been a good and _obedient_ son, then nobody would have gotten hurt. Zagreus clenched his fists. His father would be right. 

He started to leave, but felt a tug on the back of his shirt. He looked down at Than, whose golden-brown eyes seemed to look right through him. “Why?”

Gently, he pried Than’s hand away, “Well I wasn’t about to let you bleed out in an alley, now was I? Get some sleep. We should be safe here for a bit.” He didn’t bother waiting for a response before heading into the kitchen.

He watched pensively as the bloodstained water went down the drain. It wasn’t his first time seeing this much blood, but he’d always been removed from it. Than was the hitman, after all. Zagreus worked behind the scenes, keeping books, settling disputes, and learning to run the family business under the watchful eye of his father. He’d had blood on his hands before, but only in the metaphorical sense. This was new. It made him sick. He thought of Thanatos, Achilles, and the other hitmen. How could they get used to this? Shutting off the tap, Zagreus forced himself to focus on what was happening now. If he and Than were going to be holed up here, they should at least know what they were working with.

Some safehouse, Zag found himself thinking as he paced from room to room. The carpet was stained and threadbare, the walls plain beige, all of the appliances seemed at least a decade behind the times. He’d barely noticed then, but he was certain he’d seen bugs on his way up. He’d ask what Nyx was thinking using such a run-down, filthy establishment as a safe house, but she probably selected it for just that reason. 

As Consigliere, she knew the extent of Hades’s reach in the city, and more importantly, his blind spots. Why _would_ anyone look for a spoiled heir in a place like this? 

Still, she probably expected him to get there on time and not have to stay for very long. There was talk of him meeting someone. She wouldn’t say who, but whoever it was likely didn’t plan for Zagreus to play cat and mouse with one of his father’s enforcers for the better part of the afternoon. 

A note caught his attention on the coffee table as he went to sit down. All it said was: _You’re late. Plans have changed. Call me, but hang up if I don’t answer on the first ring. - Nyx._

She was mad. She was so mad. He braced himself for an onslaught of stern motherly disapproval as he dialed her number on the apartment’s phone. True to her word, she picked up immediately. 

“Zagreus, where have you been?” her usually calm voice was tight with panic. 

“Alecto found me. I had to lose her before I could get here. Sorry to worry you.”

“It’s okay. You’re sure she can’t find you there?”

Zagreus looked out the window to the streets below. The rain mercilessly pelted the few pedestrians unlucky enough to find themselves in it. “I’m sure. With this weather even Cerberus would have a hard time tracking me. Plus, Than and I did a number on her. If she comes back, it won’t be toni—”

“Thanatos is there?” 

“Uh, y-yes. You didn’t…” he looked back towards Than, still deeply unconscious. “You didn’t send him?” Grudging as he seemed, Zagreus assumed Nyx asked her son to protect him. It wouldn’t have been the first time, in fact he’d almost expected it after years of Thanatos shadowing him whenever Zagreus had to attend to matters in person. 

The question got a wry laugh from her “Thanatos has never listened to me. All of his orders come directly from Hades.”

“Never? You’re his mother.”

“In matters of business I’m merely his boss’s advisor. Anyone who takes orders from me is doing so because I have something to offer in return, like Charon, who you were supposed to meet here.”

“You got _Charon_ to take me out of the city?” It made sense; if you need something smuggled, you get a smuggler— but Charon was perhaps the busiest and highest ranking among them. 

“Charon is a good businessman, he has more contacts outside of our family than anyone else. He would know which of those contacts can be trusted to take you farther than any of us ever could…and unlike Thanatos, his loyalty can be bought.”

Zagreus felt a chill down his spine. “I feel like this isn’t the first time he’s had to smuggle a person.”

“That’s not important right now. What is is that you and Thanatos stay put where you are until Charon returns from his route.”

“Right, right, um…how long will that be exactly? I don’t know if Tha— uh, if we’ll be ready to travel for a day or two.” Like hell was he about to tell her about her son almost bleeding out on the couch. 

“Charon keeps a strict schedule, any deviations in it would be cause for some suspicion. He told me it would be four days at least before he feels it would be safe coming to get you again.”

“Four days?” 

“Yes, unfortunately. The safehouse does have food— and medical supplies should you need them— but I’m sending Dusa to drop off your new ID so if you need anything else just ask her.”

“At _least_?” his grip on the phone tightened with panic, the ancient plastic shell creaked under the force.

“ _Yes_. I’m sorry, but we have to be careful. You may not leave under any circumstances.” 

“Can’t you tell him to come sooner?”

“Goodbye, Zagreus. Be safe…can you give the phone to Thanatos?”

His stomach dropped. “No. He’s…asleep.” There was silence on the other end of the line, but he could feel her eyes burning into him, the same look she gave him every time he lied to her. Even when he was no longer a child, even when he wasn’t in the room, somehow she always knew. Zagreus sighed. “He was injured. Badly. He’s doing okay now but I don’t know if I should wake him up… I’m sorry.”

After a few more moments of silence, Nyx continued, “Alright. Tell him that I love him, and that I’m sorry…and say the same to your mother if you ever find her”

He nodded, “I will. Goodbye, Nyx.”

“Goodbye.” He lingered on the phone even after Nyx hung up. There should have been something final about their last goodbyes. Something bittersweet, but reassuring. Zagreus just felt empty. The droning of the dial tone was replaced with the busy signal, startling him into finally hanging up. 

All at once, the day seemed to catch up to him. Exhaustion settled in bone-deep now that he had a chance to calm down. It was…probably safe enough to go to bed. Though before he did, he made sure to bring out the spare blanket from the bedroom for Than. As he draped it over him, Zagreus could feel the blood on his hands from earlier. A shiver ran down his spine. 

He quickly pushed the thought out of his mind and dragged himself to the bedroom.

—–

_The two of them sat together on the lacquered-wood floor of the ballroom. Well, Thanatos was sitting, Zagreus was sprawled out on the floor, panting like a dog. Despite this, their teacher Achilles seemed proud of them both._

_“It’s kind of exciting, isn’t it?” Zag asked, pushing himself up._

_“Fighting? I guess.” He didn’t know if he could get used to it, honestly. The things Achilles was showing them were brutal. “Maybe more so for you since you won’t really be doing it.”_

_“What’s that supposed to mean?”_

_“Have you ever seen your dad fight?”_

_“…Guess not. But that wasn’t what I meant anyway.” Zag paused to think, “Dad’s pretty much kept me locked in this house since I was born. It’s exciting to finally get out and make something of myself. I think we could both really become something, mate, just like our folks.”_

_“Ideally we’ll be taking over for them.” Than pointed out._

_“Nnnno— well, yeah— but not like that. Like… they built this business together. From nothing. I think we could do the same. We could build something amazing, Than.”_

_Thanatos turned away, hiding the blush that crept up his face, “Don’t get ahead of yourself. I still kicked your ass today. Focus on learning the basics first.”_

_Zagreus only laughed in response._

_—_

Thanatos woke up to blinding pain and unfamiliar surroundings. He shot up. The room spun around him as he clutched his side. Taking a few deep breaths to calm himself down, Than assessed the situation. 

He was in a run-down apartment. He had been injured before getting here. The last thing he could remember clearly was the fight in the alleyway. How he foolishly intervened and underestimated one of their enforcers, and the price he paid for that foolishness. There were bits and pieces of the trek to the apartment that stuck in his mind, mostly that he used Zagreus as a walking stick or his gentle reassurance that they would get “somewhere safe”. Nothing useful. Nothing that would tell him where this safehouse was. 

His shirt was gone and he’d been bandaged up. It was clumsy, but done properly which, coupled with the blanket he’d pushed to the floor in his melodrama, implied it was done by someone who cared about him. Zagreus got them to safety somehow. 

And now they were alone.

The sound of something scraping against a pan drew his attention to the furthest of the doors leading out of this room. Zagreus was cooking. How long had he been out? He looked towards the window for a clue, but it was still the same oppressive rain as he last remembered. Maybe a bit lighter? Morning? Than shook his head, that didn’t matter. What mattered was that now he and Zagreus could finally talk. 

He stood up, gritting his teeth against the fresh pain shooting through him, and walked unsteadily over to where Zag had left his knife. A simple switch, nothing fancy, he held it tight as he went into the kitchen.

Zagreus stood in front of the stove, bobbing his head to the rhythm of a song that played over the radio as he flipped his pancakes. He was distracted enough that he didn’t even realize someone was there until Thanatos grabbed him from behind, pressing the knife just barely against his neck. 

He froze instantly. “I’m not going back. I’ll fight you, if that’s what you’re looking for, but not here. I don’t want Thanatos getting hurt again.”

“I _am_ Thanatos, idiot.” he said through teeth grit more from pain than anger.

Zagreus turned to face him, “Than! How’re you feeling?” He smiled, completely ignoring the knife still at his throat. 

“Terrible. But that’s not important. I want to ask you some questions.”

“And the knife?”

“It’s for if you try to run away.” Zagreus smirked at the empty threat and took the knife from his hands easily. 

Setting it on the countertop with a definitive _clack_ , Zagreus continued, “I couldn’t run if I wanted to…but if we’re going to talk you should sit down.”

“I’m _fine_.” Thanatos stood up straighter, ignoring the throbbing pain in his side. “Why did you leave?”

“Skip.” Zagreus turned back to the stove, turning it off and dumping the contents of the pan onto a plate. “Next question.” He brushed past Thanatos on his way to the table. 

Thanatos grabbed his arm, “Skip? What do you think this is, a quiz show? You have responsibilities, you have people who depend on you, and you better have a damn good reason for leaving us all behind.”

“Is the fact that we’re bad people not enough? Maybe I just don’t want to be a criminal anymore.” He shrugged him off and sat down, “Next Question.”

“Where are you going?”

“Don’t know yet. As far as I can hope to get from this blasted city.”

Thanatos sighed. He leaned against the counter on his good side. “Very typical of you to not have a plan. But somehow you got here,” Curiously, he opened a nearby cabinet. Just as he suspected, it was filled with shelf-stable food. “And there were already supplies. Who’s helping you?”

“Your mom.”

“ _Zagreus_.”

“What? Oh. No, really, Nyx is the only reason I was able to leave.” Thanatos was silent for a few moments, “That all your questions, mate?”

“I’ll admit, I didn’t expect you to get help from within the family, let alone my mother…You two must have planned this for a while. It’s not like her to run into things headfirst.” He walked over, ignoring the radiating pain in his side. “All that time and you couldn’t say goodbye?”

Zagreus looked up at him, “I…It was selfish of me. I knew that if I told you anything, you would alert my father. But I thought— I hoped— that if I just left, you would understand.” 

Thanatos leaned down, eyes alight with anger and pain, “Then make me understand. Tell me why you left.”

He met his gaze defiantly, “I did. I’m through with this life. I don’t want to be someone that people fear. I’m tired of seeing the people I love get hurt or killed because my father and his enemies are on a power trip!” He stood up, making Thanatos stumble backwards. His face softened, “Than, mate, when was the last time you walked around without a weapon? When was the last time you felt _safe_?”

He scoffed “I’m never in danger Zagreus. I can scarcely remember a time when I wasn’t the most dangerous person in the room.”

He stepped forward, one hand held out, “But what if you didn’t have to be?”

“Then I would be a terrible assassin.” He left the kitchen before Zagreus could respond.

What a thing to say. What a stupid, childish thing to say. Nice as that would be, Thanatos could never afford to think of safety. He’d always thought Zagreus understood that. Men like them lived and died in the shadows, stepping over each other to gain any sort of leverage. When you slip, you die. And if Zagreus was going to slip then he wanted no part of it.

He found Zag’s backpack thrown off to the side in the living room and began rifling through it. He grabbed a spare shirt and put it on, teeth grit tightly because even that somehow was too much for his injury. Were there painkillers in this place? He’d have to grab some before he left. The only other thing of use was a handgun. He turned it over in his hand, finding no comfort in the weight. 

“Taking my things?” How long had Zagreus been watching him? How did he not hear him enter the room?

“My mother will buy you more, I’m sure.” He didn’t look back as he headed for the door.

“You can’t go back.” It was a fact, not a plea, not a threat.

“What do you mean?” Thanatos glared at him over his shoulder.

“I mean Alecto must have told them everything by now. How you attacked her to save me, how we both got away. She must think you’re part of this. If you go back, my father will have you punished, or worse.”

“Your father wouldn’t kill me. He wouldn’t _dare_. I’m one of his best men.” He opened the door, and was halfway out when Zagreus said something neither of them wanted to hear.

“So was Achilles.”

He slammed the door shut. “…He wouldn’t like you using him against me like that.” His voice was low as he walked over to Zagreus. 

“I don’t like it either, but it’s true.”

Silence stretched between them, taut like a drawn bow. “So what then? You want me to run away with you? Is that it?” 

Whether it was because _Thanatos_ was the one who suggested it, or because he was simply being direct for the first time in years, Zagreus’s mismatched eyes widened at that. He quickly regained his composure though, “I’m offering you the choice.”

“You don’t even know where you’re going! You’ve never left this city— fuck, you’ve barely left your house! I just…” He sighed, running a hand through his hair, “Even if I go with you, and we make it, there’s no life out there for us.” When he opened his eyes again, Zagreus was looking straight at him, so earnest and hopeful that he had a hard time looking back. 

“Then we can build one.” He closed the gap between them, holding out his hand.

“I…I need time to think. How long are you staying here?”

“Four days, unfortunately.”

Four days. He could definitely come to a decision before then. He took Zagreus’s hand. “You’ll have your answer then.” Though when Zagreus smiled at him, Thanatos had already figured out his decision.


End file.
